Drilling turbine



Feb. 19, 1963 w.T1RAsPo| sKY ErAL 3,077,937

DRILLING TURBINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 18, 1957 Feb. 19, 1963 W. TlRAsPoLsKY ErAL 3,077,937

DRILLING TURBINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 18, 1957 iinited tates harem G 3,077,937 DRILLNG 'EURMNE Wadimir Tiraspolsky, 69 Avenue Victor Cresson, Issy- Ics-Moulineaux, France, and Roger Francois Rouviere,

Castor, Lot 24, Aureilhan, France Filed Nov. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 696,975 Ciaims priority, application France Dec. 7, 1956 3 Claims. (Ci. l75-l07) The present invention relates generally to the art of driliing the ground and has particular reference to apparatus of the type used for example for drilling wells through soft or substantially unconsolidated soils.

For drilling some kinds of soils, it is only sufficient to ,provide at the end of any rod or pipe, for example a exible pipe, one or several nozzles or a tool fitted with nozzles or equivalen-t ports and to inject through them water or another fluid under a suitable rate of ow and an appropriate forcing pressure for achieving or considerably hastening the disintegration of the soil and ensuring a forward motion of the apparatus. Such is the case for example of very soft or light soils or when effecting drilling at small depth, for example when drilling for geological or geophysical prospecting as are effected through superficial non-consolidated layers of the soil.

However the use of such hydraulic jet perforators have not been satisfactorily widespread because their practical use encounters dil'iculties due to the lack of homogeneous ground. Actually when encountering in the course of drilling a hard or compact layer of ground (for instance a stony or clayey layer) perforation or drilling by means of jets of liquid is no longer possible, whereupon the exible pipe must be removed from the well being drilled and conventional drilling methods must be resorted to, that is to say, the drilling must be continued with the aid of a revoluble tool or a percussion tool, which cancels the advantages resulting from hydraulic jet perforation.

It has already been proposed to arrange in superimposed relation a drilling turbine and a hydraulic jet perforator. However the practical solutions that were proposed were not satisfactory because on the one hand turbines are not generally built for withstanding at their outlet end the large pressure drops that are necessitated by hydraulic jet perforating tools and on the other hand as the iiuid must how through the power parts of the turbine and the jet perforation nozzles, it undergoes a serious overall pressure drop of which only a fraction is used at each stage of the drilling operation. Finally the idle rotation of the turbine, when drilling a well by fluid jets, represents a considerable useless expenditure owing to the serious wear of moving parts.

An object of the invention is to remedy the aforesaid `disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a new or improved drilling turbine utilizable selectively as a hydraulic jet perforator and adapted selectively to permit jet drilling or turbine drilling while ensuring total or partial deactivation or idling of one of said systems when the other one is used by au automatic control.

Viewed in one aspect, the invention is embodied in a new or improved turbo-drill utilizable as a hydraulic jet perforator and characterized by the fact that it comprises -two separate circuits for the :dow of the circulating fluid toward the lower end of the turbine which is tted with a 3,077,937 Patented Feb. 19, 1963 rotatable drilling tool and jet drilling nozzles, one circuit ensuring communication 'between the fluid inlet and the lower end of the turbine through the medium of the power parts of said turbine, while the other circuit provides a direct or substantially direct communication between said duid inlet and said lower end, and means ensuring a selective flow of the main stream of fluid toward said lower end of the turbine through either the one or the other of said circuits.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved drilling turbine as aforesaid comprising automatic operating control means permitting the circulating fluid to be circulated entirely or partly through a circuit undergoing a very small load drop and channelling said uid to the turbine nozzles from which the fluid jets are projected for drilling the well without simultaneously driving the turbine shaft or alternatively, the uid to be circulated through the power parts of the turbine, thereby imparting rotation to the shaft while the first-named circuit is closed.

Viewed in a more specific aspect, the invention is embodied in a particular constructional form wherein those members which selectively perform the ow of the main fluid current toward the lower end of the turbine through either the one or the other of the aforesaid circuits are so constructed tha-t control of said members is caused by a relative axial displacement of the two parts of the turbine. The turbine shaft which is connected to the drilling tool may be mounted for example for being axially shiftable with respect to the stator parts of the turbine for ensuring said control. According to a constructional modification, the bit or bit holder is axially shiftable with respect to the shaft or stator parts of the turbine and may for example axially slide ou said turbine shaft. Said relative axial shift of the two parts of the turbine may he caused for example by the weight applied to the tool.

A further object of the invention is t0 provide a drilling turbine as aforesaid wherein the members which selectively direct the main fluid current toward the lower end of the turbine are controlled by a variation of the feed pressure of the power fluid, which pressure variation may have a transient character, whereafter the feed pressure may resume its initial value or may be set to another value following activation of the control.

Viewed in a still more specific aspect, the invention is further embodied in a particularly advantageous constructional form wherein the aforesaid selectively operating members are constituted by valves, lift valves, gate valves or equivalent means so mounted as to ensure a selective closing of one of the circuits and the opening of the associated circuit. There may be provided for example in the turbine, a circuit involving a small load drop comprising a longitudinal bore extending through the turbine shaft, the circuit associated with the aforesaid circuit passing through the stator and rotor part stacks and imparting rotation to said shaft, the selective ow of the fluid through the one or the other circuits being controlled by valves, lift valves, gate valves or the like.

The turbine may include a sealing device adapted to prevent the tiuid from leaking through the foot bearing of said turbine when the small load drop circuit is operative. Preferably this sealing device is so arranged as angularly to lock the turbine shaft with respect to the stator structure, which method of mounting is advanis only partly closed ol as the fluid flows through the small load drop circuit. Such an arrangement is particularly advantageous for deep drilling work because it permits the tool to be slowly rotated from the ground surface when the drilling work is entirely or partly effected by means of liquid jets projected by nozzles.

With these and such other objects in view as will incidentally appear hereafter, the invention comprises the novel construction and combination of parts that will now be described with reference t'o the accompanying diagrammatic drawings eicemplifying the same and forming a part of the present disclosure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a partial sectional elevational view of a constructional form of the improved drilling turbine according to the invention, said vturbine being utilizable selectively as a hydraulic jet perforator.

FiGURES 2 and -3 are vsectionalyiewsr r'of eo'nst'r-uctional modified details.

FIGURE 4 is a partial sectional elevational view of a constructional mo diiication.

The `drilling turbine which is partly represented in FIG. l includes a body 1 in which is Ymounted a shaft 2 provided with a longitudinal bore 3 extending through the entire length thereof constituting `a` vfluid conduit. A tube 4 is screwed into the lower end of the shaft 2 and forms a continuation of the conduit dened by longitudinal bore 3. Said tube 4 communicates at its lower end with the inlet port 5 (provided in the bit 6) of nozzles (not shown) through which the uid used for jet drilling is projected. A sealing gasket 7 is provided adjacent the port 5 for preventing any leakage of the uid from the n tube 4. n

The drilling bit 6 is screwed upon a sleeve 8 which .is itself Ascrewed upon the lower end of the shaft 2, said lower end of the shaft and said sleeve 8 defining around the tube 4 an annular channel 9 which communicates at its upper end through ports 10 with a space 11 'pr'ovided inside the body 1 and containing the Astacks of stator and rotor parts 80, 81 respectively. vThe upper bearing of the turbine has been 'shown at 82. At itslower end the annular channel 9 communicates with por-ts 12 in the drilling bit. These ports are dilferent from the inlet port 5 and have, generally speaking, a larger cross 'sectional area. l

lThe foot bearing of the turbiner comprises, in the present construction, a weartakir1g ring 13 connected to the shaft 2 and rubber rings 14 carried by a sleeve 15 screwed upon a joint 16 which is in turn screwed upon the 'turbine body 1, thereby clamping the stack of stator parts 80.

The shaft 2 is threaded adjacent vits upper end and first receives a nut 17 which clamps the stack of rotor parts 81 upon sai-d shaft. The nut 17 is topped by a mushroomshaped member 18 the upper face of which is provided with a rubber disc 19 clamped by a nut 20. The periphery of the rubber disc 19 may be applied (as visible in FIG. l) against a companion fillet member 21 rigid with the turbine body 1 so as to provide 'adequateuid tightness. Alternatively the periphery of the rubber disc 19 may be moved off said member v21 for 'defining an annular channel 22 providing communication between the power space 11 of the turbine and the intake of Ithe circulating fluid.

The upper threaded end of the shaft 2 is 'also provided with a member 23 terminating in 'a hollow cone which receives a rubber or like ring Y24 held by a nut 25. The ring 24 forms a seat fora tapering valve v26, the stem 27 of which is guided through a sleeve 28 rigid with a further member 29 interposed in the stator structure of the turbine. A collar or flange 3@ limits the downward stroke of the valve 26. The gap orchannel 31 selectively defined between the valve 26 and its seatconstituted by the 'ring 24 provides communicationbetween the longitudinal lbore 3 in the shaft 2 'and the intake of the 4circulating huid.

The members 21 and 26 carried Iby the turbine body constitute first valve members which cooperate in reverse directions with the second valve member parts 19 and 24 supported upon the shaft so that one of the aforesaid channels is open when the other one is closed. Such channels have such size that the loap drop of the fluid flowing through them is very small.

The turbine shaft is also equipped with axial thrust bearings 83 of the single acting type having a sufficient clearance for permitting the shaft to move while performing selective opening and closing of the channels 22 and 31.

The operation of this turbine utilizable as a hydraulic jet perforator is as follows:

As long as the liquid jets are sufficient for breaking up the soil, the weight exerted upon the bit 6 is kept under a given value represented by the total weight of the tool and rotor parts of the turbine and the corresponding hydraulic thrust. This produces a downward axial vthrust parts of the turbine and the Ventire fluid then flows through the channel 31, the bore 3 in the shaft Z and the tube 4 before reaching the inlet ports S for the nozzles. The turbine shaft 2 and the bit`6 are thus held against rotation. The Ytool is merely shifted downwardly in proportion as the drilling work progresses.

lf found desirable by the operator or fwhere the soil being -drilled is too hard for permitting drilling by jets of liquid to be performed, the turbine proper may be set into operation. AFor that purpose, the bit pressure upon the soil being drilled or dug is increased, whereupon the 'channel 22 is opened while the channel 31 is closed due to the relative axial movement which takes place between the shaft and bit, on the one hand, and the turbine body on which the weight of the string of rods exerts itself, on the other hand. Therefore the circulating fluid is prevented from llowing into the shaft bore 3 and the jet feed is interrupted. However the fluid flows through the vpower structure of the turbine so that the drilling work is continued by means of the rotary bit V6 in the usual manner. The fluid escapes through the channels 10, 9 and 12 with- Vout undergoing any appreciable load drop.

As soon as the hard portion or layer of the soil has been drilled, the reverse action of the valves controlled by the downward movement of the tool and shaft with respect to the turbine body stops the operation of the turbine while setting into operation the drilling nozzles again for hydraulic continuation of the work.

In FIGURE l, the valve members, the stator and rotor blades and the axial bearing elements have been shown in a position of equilibrium between the operative positions, but it will be understood that such a position is only of transient character and that the parts occupy said position only `when moving from an operative position -to the other for selectively opening or closing one of the circuits of the turbine.

It is obviously necessary that the conduit (string of rods or flexible pipes) which feeds the turbine should have a sufcient resistance to torsional stresses for counter-balancing the power torque of said turbine.

In the constructional modification represented in FIG. 2, selective closure 'of the bore 3 in the shaft 2 is ensured by a cylindrical needle valve 34 whose shank 35 is engaged through a hole in a member 36 rigid with the turbine body. A head member 37 limits the downward motion of the needle valve 34. The member 36 acts as a guide for the shank 35 of the needle valve which is arranged for sliding vand rotating with respect thereto. `For performing the closure, the cylindrical needle valve 34 is engaged (as shown) into the bore 3 in the shaft 2.

In the constructional modification shown in FlG. 3,

the valve 38 is guided by its stern 39 through a rubber or like bearing 4t) supported by a member 41 rigid with the turbine body. The rubber bearing 4tlis held in position by a washer 42 applied thereto by a suitably shaped nut d3. The valve stern 39 carries at its upper end a screwed ogee-shaped abutment `ist which limits its downward motion. Such as abutment bears against the washer through a rubber or like member 45 so as to constitute a thrust bearing. Consequently the valve may be rotated with respect to its guide when it is applied on the turbine shaft and said shaft is rotated.

Lubrication of the rubber bearing 40 is ensured by a iiow of the uid through the space between the bearing and the stem 39. Such fluid circulation is facilitated by the provision of the shaped nut 43 at the inlet end and channels or grooves 78 formed inside the ring that forms the bearing 40.

According to the constructional modication shown in FlG. 4, the turbine body 51 receives the stack of stator parts 52 (only a few elements of which are shown in the drawings) and the lower bearing 53. Tightening is provided by a nut 54. The turbine shaft 55 carries the stack of rotor parts 56 and the wear-taking ring 57 of the lower bearing. Tightening is performed by the nut 5S. Through said shaft also extends over its full length a longitudinal bore 59 the upper end of which communicates with the inlet of the circulating fluid. The rotor part of the turbine is axially held with respect to the stator structure by an abutment of conventional type (not shown).

The lower end of the turbine body 51 is fitted with a sieeve 6i) carrying adjacent its lower end a rubber or like bearing 61 through which may rotate a lower shaft 62 having a threaded tip portion 63 upon which is screwed the tool (not shown). The shaft `62 is provided adjacent its upper end with a fluted bore 64 which cooperates with splines 65 machined upon the lower end of the shaft 55. The two shafts 55 and 62 are thus connected for joint angular motion although the lower shaft 62 may be axially shifted with respect to the shaft 55. The shaft 62 has a slanting downwardly facing shoulder 66 which, in its lowermost position as shown in FIG. 4, rests upon the upwardly facing shoulder 67 on the sleeve dil', thereby cutting off the iiow of the circulating fluid toward the lower bearing 6i. Also in said position, an upper slanting downwardly facing shoulder 6d on said shaft cooperates with an upwardly facing end shoulder 69 on the sleeve 6) so as to restrict the outward fluid passage for the power part of the turbine. Ports 7G provide a communication between the annular passage 7l defined between the shaft 62 and the sleeve 6u and a ylongitudinal bore 72 formed in said shaft 62.

There is, moreover, provided inside the lower shaft 62 an end member or spigot 73 provided with a central passage 79 and screwed into a threaded portion of the shaft. Said end member 73 has side ports 74 and adjacent its upper end a bevelled portion 75 capable of being applied against a complementary seat portion 76 provided at the lower end of the turbine shaft 55.

The operation of the turbine built according to the lastnamed constructional form is similar to the one described with respect to FIG. l. As long as the drilling work is done by liquid jets, the bit does not touch the soil being drilled, and the weight of the tool and shaft 62 brings the parts into the position shown in FIG. 4. Therefore the fluid freely reaches the nozzles through the channel 59 and the passage defined between the seat portion 76 and the bevelled portion 75 which is sufficiently wide for preventing any appreciable load drop, the ports 74 and the bore 72. Conversely the ow of the fluid through the power structure of the turbine is considerably braked or hampered by the provision of the throttle '77 between the shoulders 68 and 69. Contact of the shoulder 66 against the shoulder 67 produces a frictional torque which prevents the turbine shaft from rotating.

If the soil being drilled becomes too hard for permitting jet drilling to be performed or where the foreman in charge of supervision of the drilling deems it useful, he may press the bit against the bottom of the well. Under the effect of the weight of the turbine and string of rods, the seat por-tion 76 is then applied against the bevelled portion 7S while the oppositely located shoulders 66, 67 and 68, 69 are moved off each other. Consequently the end member or spigot 73 closes the channel 59 so that the fluid must iiow through the turbine blades before reaching the drilling nozzles. However, the iiuid then freely flows from the power structure to the bore 72 through the annular passage 7l while irrigating the foot bearing 6l. The turbine thus operates in the usual manner.

Minor constructional details may be varied without departing from the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a drilling turbine utilizable selectively as a hydraulic jet perforator and including a tubular turbine body, a shaft, bearing means supporting said shaft within said body for a rotatable and limited axial movement relative thereto, blade sets within said body for driving the shaft and operably responsive to iiow of a circulating fluid through said sets, a tool fitted at the lower end of said shaft, the inlet of the fluid being adjacent the upper end of the turbine while its outlet is adjacent its lower end, a rst fluid circuit delined by said body and shaft providing communication between said upper end and said lower end through the blade sets of the turbine, and -a second fluid circuit including a bore defined within said shaft providing direct communication between said upper and lower ends of the turbine; the combination of rst and third valve members fixed on the turbine body, and second and fourth valve members xed upon said shaft, said rst valve member being engageable with said second valve member as the shaft moves axially upwardly with respect to said body while said third and four-th valve members separate so as to open said iirst fluid circuit and to close said second Huid circuit, while said third valve member is engageable with said fourth valve member when the shaft moves axially downwardly with respect to the body and said rst and second valve members separate so as to close the first fluid circuit and to open the second fluid circuit.

2. Fluid operated well drilling apparatus selectively usable as a hydraulic jet perforator or a hydraulic turbine comprising in combination, a tubular body having an upper and a lower end, means mounting a turbine shaft within said body for rotative and yaxial movement relative thereto, said shaft having a lower end extending from the lower end of said Ibody, a tool mounted on said shaft lower end, turbine blade sets affixed to said shaft located within said body intermediate the body upper and lower ends, a conduit communicating with said body having an inlet communicating with the upper end of said body and having an outlet adjacent said tool, said body and shaft deining a turbine iiuid ow path through said blade sets and valve means within the upper end of said body operatively responsive to the axial position of said shaft relative to said body selectively controlling the flow of fluid through said apparatus either through said turbine flow path or said conduit.

3. In a drilling turbine utilizable selectively as a hydraulic jet perforator or a turbine and including a tubular turbine body, a shaft, bearing means supporting said shaft within said body for rotatable and limited axial movement relative thereto, blade sets for rotating the shaft responsive to flow of a circulating fluid through said sets, a tool fitted at the lower end of said shaft, the inlet of the lluid being adjacent the upper end of .the turbine while its outlet is adjacent its lower end, a iirst fluid circuit dened by said body and shaft providing communication between said upper end and said lower end through the blade sets of the turbine, and a second liuid circuit including a conduit providing direct communication between said upper References Sited in theV le ofY this patent and lower ends of the tur-bine; the combination of first UNITED STATES PATENTS valve members xed to the turbine body, and second 1 42 7 h v F y valve members xed upon said shaft, said second valve zsosg arlenberg I eb 156 94 members being operatively positionable with respect to 5 armen me 9 9 said first valve members upon occurrence of relative axial FORE GN PATENTS motion of the shaft with respect to the turbine body for I' determining selective fiow of the circulating uid either 368,957 Great Blfal'n Mar- 171 1932 through said rst fluid circuit or through said second 7621749 Great B'ltalm Dec- 5, 1955 uid circuit. l() 770,347 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1957 

1. IN A DRILLING TURBINE UTILIZABLE SELECTIVELY AS A HYDRAULIC JET PERFORATOR AND INCLUDING A TUBULAR TURBINE BODY, A SHAFT, BEARING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT WITHIN SAID BODY FOR A ROTATABLE AND LIMITED AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, BLADE SETS WITHIN SAID BODY FOR DRIVING THE SHAFT AND OPERABLY RESPONSIVE TO FLOW OF A CIRCULATING FLUID THROUGH SAID SETS, A TOOL FITTED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID SHAFT, THE INLET OF THE FLUID BEING ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF THE TURBINE WHILE ITS OUTLET IS ADJACENT ITS LOWER END, A FIRST FLUID CIRCUIT DEFINED BY SAID BODY AND SHAFT PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID UPPER END AND SAID LOWER END THROUGH THE BLADE SETS OF THE TURBINE, AND A SECOND FLUID CIRCUIT INCLUDING A BORE DEFINED WITHIN SAID SHAFT PROVIDING DIRECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF THE TURBINE; THE COMBINATION OF FIRST AND THIRD VALVE MEMBERS FIXED ON THE TURBINE BODY, AND SECOND AND FOURTH VALVE MEMBERS FIXED UPON SAID SHAFT, SAID FIRST VALVE MEMBER BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SECOND VALVE MEMBER AS THE SHAFT MOVES AXIALLY UPWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY WHILE SAID THIRD AND FOURTH VALVE MEMBERS SEPARATE SO AS TO OPEN SAID FIRST FLUID CIRCUIT AND TO CLOSE SAID SECOND FLUID CIRCUIT, WHILE SAID THIRD VALVE MEMBER IS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FOURTH VALVE MEMBER WHEN THE SHAFT MOVES AXIALLY DOWNWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE BODY AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEMBERS SEPARATE SO AS TO CLOSE THE FIRST FLUID CIRCUIT AND TO OPEN THE SECOND FLUID CIRCUIT. 